Overview
- LeVota filed shortly before Tuesday's 5 p.m. deadline after earlier saying he would not run for a full term.
- He has served as interim executive since October after a 5–4 appointment by the county legislature that followed the recall of Frank White Jr.
- LeVota said he chose to run to keep county government stable and to let voters decide who should lead.
- Lee’s Summit Mayor Bill Baird, who also filed, criticized the reversal and said keeping one’s word is key to public trust.
- Eight candidates are on the ballot, with seven Democrats and one Republican, and voters will narrow the field in the August primary before the November election.